Which part hits the ground first?

[ragnor]

Being an extremely old git and a total wuss I tend to bimble along and try not to fall off. Due to total incompetence however I managed a total splat. Knee and elbow now not happy and daily dressings are required. New MIPS helmet didn’t get a scratch!

So which parts do you find normally hit the dirt first and how’s the recovery going?

 

[The EMF]

Your EGO! recovery wise, if you’re riding with mates and you have an off…….. jump up fast and announce in a very manly voice “that didn’t hurt” and save your tears for home…..
Works g for me every time

 

[Mikerb]

Sometimes you get some warning before a fall....it maybe short but time enough to react. Other times it is sudden in which case only auto reactions work. In either case best case scenario is to tuck and roll..............as opposed to sticking out hands/arms or face planting.
So if all goes to plan you fall on your side..........sadly a more natural reaction is to stick our a defensive arm but that just leads to broken wrists and collar bones!
Apart from your head, which should be fairly well protected in a decent helmet, more so in a full face helmet, the most vulnerable part of your body for serious injury is your spine so whilst knee, elbow, shoulder, hip pads, can reduce impact damage the most important bit of body armour is a back protector.

My last crash was with a tree! Broken ribs and some lung damage as a result. Impact was partially on my back protector but also my side and no ar mour provides much in the way of protection for the ribs if you hit an immoveable object! 95% repaired now after 4 weeks but it was purgatory for 2 weeks of that.

 

[Tim1023]

I took a couple of colleagues for an MTB experience day a few years back. One of them was a big fella. Really big, tall and carrying plenty of extra padding. He handled all the interesting bits no problem at all. I was actually pretty impressed. Then on a flat piece, he was fiddling with his camera on his bar when his wheel hit a stone. Bike veered off to the left, he kept going. With all his weight, he landed on his shoulder. Really buggered it up. Has had several operations and still has problems raising his arm above shoulder level. His girlfriend hasn't forgiven me for taking him.

 

[KnollyBro]

Sometimes you get some warning before a fall....it maybe short but time enough to react. Other times it is sudden in which case only auto reactions work. In either case best case scenario is to tuck and roll..............as opposed to sticking out hands/arms or face planting.
So if all goes to plan you fall on your side..........sadly a more natural reaction is to stick our a defensive arm but that just leads to broken wrists and collar bones!
Apart from your head, which should be fairly well protected in a decent helmet, more so in a full face helmet, the most vulnerable part of your body for serious injury is your spine so whilst knee, elbow, shoulder, hip pads, can reduce impact damage the most important bit of body armour is a back protector.

My last crash was with a tree! Broken ribs and some lung damage as a result. Impact was partially on my back protector but also my side and no ar mour provides much in the way of protection for the ribs if you hit an immoveable object! 95% repaired now after 4 weeks but it was purgatory for 2 weeks of that.

I try to aim for my elbows (*edited... in a tucked/crash position, against my chest to protect my ribs and try to roll) as my wrists are already wrecked. I wear POC elbows with hard plastic on them for this reason. Hope for a break (or a scratch) as soft tissue damage takes way longer to heal from. Speed + Height = risk/fun

My Worse Ever Injury was a fractured calcaneus bone (*edited... from thinking I could land on my feet)

 

[Tim1023]

I hereby refer new readers to: Show us your ouchies - EMTB Forums

 

[The EMF]

I try to aim for my elbows as my wrists are already wrecked. I wear POC elbows with hard plastic on them for this reason. Hope for a break (or a scratch) as soft tissue damage takes way longer to heal from. Speed + Height = risk/fun

My Worse Ever Injury was a fractured calcaneus bone.

View attachment 88452

Oh f**k

 

[Landy Andy]

defensive arm but that just leads to broken wrists and collar bones!

I thought the broken collar bone was done by landing on your side/shoulder forcing it in to your ear, not due to hand/arm out in front of you.

I don’t ride hard enough to have practiced this, so didn’t know.

 

[ilostmypassword]

Last week I was lifting a 8KG object and twisted. Rooted my lower back real good. My new eBike is now finally here and I can't ride it. Now that sucks!

 

[Tim1023]

Rooted my lower bag real good.

Lower bag or back?? Both would be bad and both would stop you from riding.

 

[ilostmypassword]

Lower bag or back?? Both would be bad and both would stop you from riding.

HAHAH great typo. Back. Hopefully It comes good ASAP

 

[Rusty]

@ragnor Also being an old git that has had moe injuries riding MTB socially that I did as a Pro MXer and test rider, I try with all my skill luck to have my tires as the first part to hit the ground. Failing that, my feet.
Have tried hand, elbow, knee, backside, head and back - and broken all of those I really do prefer tires or feet.

 

[Stihldog]

Thank goodness for helmets,(I’m alive). Thank goodness for eye protection, (I can see). All the other PPE depends on where or how I’m riding.
I think everyone try’s to balance fun vs risk. Even a moment of zero gravity whilst going OTB can be fun…for a moment.

 

[2WheelsNot4]

I've had a number of offs over the years and for the most part luck has stuck with me and I've landed on my head.
Outwith that i favour the right side, elbow cheese grating down the road

 

[B1rdie]

Foot first whenever its possible, then knees and hips, if rolling sideways is possible. Using the elbows to take the first hit and then bringing them close to the chest to protect the ribs while rolling.
If going otb I use the arms only as a gauge to know the moment to tuck, chin to chest and roll to the font.

 

[JetSetDemo]

defensive arm but that just leads to broken wrists and collar bones!

I thought the broken collar bone was done by landing on your side/shoulder forcing it in to your ear, not due to hand/arm out in front of you.

I don’t ride hard enough to have practiced this, so didn’t know.

Correct that’s how I broke mine last year, slid out on a berm at llangdegla it was so fast I just went down on my right side

 

[Landy Andy]

Well done. Proper job

 

[ilostmypassword]

Correct that’s how I broke mine last year, slid out on a berm at llangdegla it was so fast I just went down on my right side

View attachment 88462

OUCH!

 

[steve_sordy]

My most frequent injuries are to my shoulders. Not from direct impact but from my elbow or forearm hitting the ground and jolting the shoulder joint. I always wear elbow guards now, following a fall at speed onto gravel.

My next frequent injury has been to my ribs. When I fall onto my side, I often end up with my guarded elbow next to my ribs which then get sprained by the impact with the guard. Haven't broken one yet though, thankfully - sprains are bad enough.

The injury that has had the most long-lasting effect was to my left knee. I was riding down a zig-zag trail as fast as I could (edit: no knee guards). I was testing tyres to see which one cornered best. I was cornering as hard as I dared when a smooth stone was ripped out of the trail by my front wheel. I went down and my left knee hit the ground. It seems that I chipped the knee cap. The chip was later incorporated back into the knee cap but not as it was. Now when I kneel on a hard surface my left knee cap is pushed upwards, which is uncomfortable and best avoided. In addition, my left knee joint will not bend as far anymore, so I can't squat or sit on my heels without considerable discomfort.

I have broken every helmet I have ever had except the two I own now. No concussions yet, so they work!

 

[Daev]

As long as i manage to get my body to cushion the bike i'm happy ( 61!!)
Thought i was in for a broken neck last week but managed to shift weight to land on the right side - heart rate 250bpm

 

[Doug Stampfer]

My main injury is the thumb joint as it's the last thing left on the bike & has all the weight of my body yanking it off the bar.

 

[Choppersquad]

A couple of years ago I caught a peddle on a root down the really stoney bit of the old Summer Lightning. I didn't even have a chance to let go of my bars before my face hit the floor. That hurt quite a bit but nothing a bit of superglue at A&E couldn't fix....so for me it's my face that hits first.

 

[steve_sordy]

I was descending Jacob's Ladder in the Peak District. (It's a steep rocky trail, with a big drop to the left). I was on a Norco Sight 1 26er mtb.

I didn't like the look of one section that lay ahead, so I went as high as I could up the left side to get past it. I'm no good with heights but I still couldn't help but look at the drop. My subconscious screamed "NOOOOOOO!" and I involuntarily eased the bars away from the drop. My bike shot over to the right, my front wheel hit a large boulder and I did a full superman over the bars. I sure as hell did not want to land flat or on my head, so I tucked in an attempt at a forward roll. To my absolute astonishment, I completed the roll and ended up standing upright, very much like those gymnasts that do an impossibly difficult dismount from the parallel bars and land on their feet without swaying. I stood there waiting for the pain to begin, but nothing, not even from my shoulders that had taken the brunt of the impact.

Then I took off running to catch my bike that was still bouncing end over end down the trail!

When I caught up with it, there was not a mark on it! Amazing!"